Copper theft exacerbates police numbers crisis

The recent rise in copper thefts has put an increased strain on police numbers according to a report release by the Home Office today.

With scrap values soaring increasing numbers of coppers are being taken from the street to be melted down for alternative use. With one copper fetching as much as £300 on the black market, thieves see a lucrative opportunity.

Scotland Yard spokesman DCI Nigel Stewart “Copper theft is putting a great strain on the level of policing we are able to offer, what with there being less police on the streets to investigate this type of crime due to the recent spate of copper theft. Our hands are tied, literally, before being bundled into the back of a transit van”

An anonymous source involved in the copper black market told us “Its easy money, with little effort required, except for if you get a bent one it might need straightening out, and some of them need a good clean as they’re filthy.”